During his official visit to Saudi Arabia, U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday afternoon signed a strategic economic partnership agreement with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to the Saudi news outlet Al-Hadath, the agreement includes memorandums of understanding for cooperation in a wide range of areas, including economics, defense, energy, technology, mining, natural resources, health and medical research.
President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sign agreements
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President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sign strategic economic agreements in Saudi Arabia
(Photos: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
While full details of the deal remain scarce, the defense component includes a massive $142 billion arms package. Ahead of the leaders' summit, reports indicated that Trump was offering a weapons deal worth over $100 billion, including advanced military systems such as C-130 transport aircraft. Earlier this month, the Trump administration gave preliminary approval to another major deal worth $3.5 billion for air-to-air missiles intended for Saudi fighter jets. Two sources told Reuters that the two countries also discussed the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Riyadh.
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Trump’s visit to the Middle East—which includes planned stops in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates—is centered primarily on economic issues. The U.S. president aims to secure a series of major deals to increase investment from wealthy Gulf states into the American economy. Saudi Arabia previously announced plans to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years, but Trump has said he hopes to push that figure to $1 trillion.
President Donald Trump lands in Riyadh
(Video: Reuters)
Trump landed in Riyadh Tuesday morning for his first official state visit of his second term. Underscoring the honor being extended by his hosts, Saudi fighter jets escorted Air Force One into the kingdom’s airspace, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally welcomed the U.S. president on the tarmac. The two leaders smiled and shook hands before entering their first round of talks.
This marks Trump’s second international trip since returning to the White House, following his attendance last month at the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican. The current visit focuses heavily on economic diplomacy, with Trump hoping to lock in agreements that will funnel Gulf capital into American infrastructure, industry and defense sectors.